U.S. 98 on Eastern Shore one step closer to receiving Via Bellator-Warrior Way designation in state Legislature

Veterans advocate Dr. Barry Booth is trying to get a stretch of U.S. 98 in Baldwin County designated at "Via Bellator"-"Warrior Way" to honor veterans.

BALDWIN COUNTY, Alabama -- A resolution to designate a section of U.S. 98 to honor military veterans has passed the state House of Representatives and moved on to the state Senate.

Rep. Randy Davis, R-Daphne, said he introduced the measure regarding “Via Bellator”-“Warrior Way” on Tuesday and it was passed by the House on Wednesday with no opposition.

“It’s a local piece. All the Baldwin County Delegation endorsed it,” Davis said.

The measure has gone on to the Senate Rules Committee for consideration, he said.

A resolution introduced last week by Rep. Randy Davis (R-Daphne) has passed the House of Representative and moved on the the Senate Rules Committee. The measure calls for designating a portion of U.S. 98 in Baldwin County as "Via Bellator"-"Warrior Way" to honor veterans.

If the resolution passes the Senate, the Alabama Department of Transportation will then be authorized to spend money on signs and approve the signage for the location, according to Davis. It would then take anywhere from six months to a year before signs would go up along the highway, he said.

The stretch of roadway would extend on the heavily traveled U.S. 98 from U.S. 31 in Spanish Fort southward to Barnwell, a span of about 15 miles, according to Dr. Barry Booth, a veterans advocate who said he started mulling over the idea a little more that a year ago.

“It’s to raise awareness of the general public for veterans,” said Booth, a Vietnam veteran and a leader in Honor Flight South Alabama. “Our country now is really not at war because we sacrifice nothing. Our military is at war.”

The goal of the designation is to raise awareness for veterans, those that have served in the past and those that serve now and as the resolution says, to welcome them home. The designation would get people’s attention and “then it’ll bring that thought to their mind,” said Booth, who also helped orchestrate the placement of a Vietnam Memorial at the USS Alabama Battleship Park.

Earlier this month, the Spanish Fort City Council adopted a resolution encouraging legislators to pass the measure. Booth said he has also approached the Daphne and Fairhope city councils along with the Baldwin County Commission about endorsing the measure.

The designation would be honorary only and would not result in any renaming of the stretch of highway. No addresses would change, Booth said.

Booth, a dentist and Navy veteran, said the public’s response to the proposed honorary designation for the highway has been positive.

Booth’s inclusion of the Latin phrasing will set this designation apart from other memorial highways across the state and nation, Davis said. He praised Booth’s efforts on behalf of veterans and said the designation would fit well in the area, especially in light of a planned state veterans cemetery along Ala 225 at Saluda Hill north of Spanish Fort. Davis sponsored the cemetery legislation.